


Sparring (pt 1)

by TigerOfTheTundra



Series: Starlight--Paladin Talis arc 1 [7]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Fighting, Sparring, Training Session, talis gets to actually /practice/ fighting instead of learning in life or death situations!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-17
Updated: 2020-10-17
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:21:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27057118
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TigerOfTheTundra/pseuds/TigerOfTheTundra
Summary: Ace and Talis spar
Series: Starlight--Paladin Talis arc 1 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1681462
Kudos: 3





	Sparring (pt 1)

“Keep your sword up!” Ace called, as he brought the wooden stave down. Talis got his own practice “blade” up just in time, wincing at the vibrations the blow sent through the branch and up his arm. But Ace continued on, relentless, and even he couldn’t help but grin and scramble to block each swing. He was exhausted. Morning at the docks, and most of his pay went to the second-hand armor Ace had found. 

“You’ll need this for proper guard jobs,” Ace said, “or anything on the road. And it’s a good deal, if you think you can spare the coin.” A few minutes of uncertainty and a clumsy confession that he’d never _worn_ armor before, and Ace had brought them to a quiet, open park near the outskirts of town. They started with just some basics, Talis trying to get used to even moving in the heavy metal. Foolishly Talis had joked he didn’t see what the big deal was, this was nothing.

Now, they sparred. Ace swung wide, and Talis dove into a roll. Only without enough momentum to actually roll, and found himself face down in the grass. He scrambled up to his feet. Ace stood, hand out to help him up, but only laughed.

“You all right there, my boy?” he asked. Talis nodded, though he was still out of breath. He took the moment to brace against his knees and try to slow his sore heartbeat.

“I’m almost sorry I let you talk me into this,” he said, trying out a cheeky grin up. The old dragonborn huffed, but his eyes narrowed.

“You sure you’re all right?” he asked. “We can take a break if--”

“Oh! No, no, I’m fine, let’s keep going!” Talis straightened up and brought himself back into the fighting stance Ace had shown him. When Ace didn’t look convinced, he swung a few wide, fake swings toward his mentor. Nothing close enough to connect, but Ace took the bait, lightly blocking one with a barely-hidden smile. 

Talis grinned back. “If you think you can keep up,” he added. A swaying, dizzy sort of energy filled him, and he danced from foot to foot. 

“Oh?” Ace’s stance shifted, just a little. “All right then.” He moved faster than Talis expected. Talis brought his makeshift blade up only just in time, but Ace pressed on, forcing him to start backing up. He met one swing, then another, then stumbled on an exposed root. Just enough for Ace to hesitate, and Talis swung at his unprotected side, almost catching him. “Gotta be faster than that,” Ace said.

The old dragonborn laughed as they sparred back and forth across the field. Talis felt wild with the ragged energy in his limbs. He joined in laughing, breathless, pressing a momentary advantage. Ace seemed to struggle to keep up. He stabbed, but Talis knocked his stave aside. Pressed in close. Swung again. Hit his shoulder, hit Ace in the shoulder. Ace let out a grunt and a laugh, but Talis had already dropped the stick. 

“Ace?” His voice wouldn’t come out all the way. When had his heart started pounding like this? His hands curled tight, arms shifting in, guarding. “Ace… are…?”

“Whew!” Ace shook his head. “Good hit. It looks like you’re loosening up, aren’t you?” He rolled the shoulder Talis had hit, then stopped. “You okay there, son?”

“Are you--?” His voice caught, and he coughed. “I-I mean, are, are you okay? I… didn’t hit you too hard?” He rubbed his arm. 

“What, that?” Ace snorted. “I’ve had worse before breakfast, my boy. You don’t need to worry about me.” He gave another stretch and rolled both shoulders. “How about you? You ready to go another round?” At the thought, Talis felt exhausted. 

“Ah, maybe…” He looked about, at the trampled grass and a nearby, leafless tree. “It’s... getting kind of late?” It felt as if they’d been at this for hours. For a moment Ace just studied him, but then nodded, smiling.

“We’ve had a long day of it,” he said, tossing aside the stave into a bush. Talis gathered his up, as Ace stretched. “Ahh, what do you think, should we stop somewhere for dinner, or head to the baths first?”

“Um, either.” Talis set his practice “sword”, no more than a particularly sturdy branch, aside. “You have somewhere in mind?” Ace seemed to like keeping up conversation. 

“Hmmm, nowhere in particular…” Ace scratched at his jaw. “What say you we go clean up and stow our armor, then think about something to eat?”

Talis raised an eyebrow, but nodded. “Sounds good.” It’d be nice to get out of the armor, now that it had an extra layer of sweat gluing him in. But he smiled to himself as they left, shaking his head a little. He’d never heard Ace pass up an opportunity for food. It wasn’t until Ace guffawed right beside him that Talis realized he’d said so out loud.

“You’ve caught me out,” Ace teased, clapping him on the back. “But, think of how much nicer a good, hot meal will taste when we don’t smell like a day's work, hmm?” Talis just hummed in affirmation, too embarrassed to say much else. He shrank his head a little into the sweaty cocoon of his chain mail as they walked, but Ace didn’t comment. 

**Author's Note:**

> Been a while! I hope all y'all reading this are able to stay safe and healthy <3 It occurred to me that, while Talis may or may not have had actual experience with various weapons in combat, he doesn't necessarily _remember_ it-- his strongest associations with combat situations are more... fight-for-your-life type scenarios. So it's nice to get to practice in a more relaxed environment! 
> 
> But, of course, it's hard to relax, when you're constantly worried that you'll hurt your sparring partner. Talis is pretty regularly worried he'll hurt others; it's at least in his top three fears
> 
> No promises on when I'll polish up the next story, but I think that one's written! I'm mostly stuck on the finale rn; it's a big undertaking, and life has been a lot lately. So I hope this short gives you something to smile about!
> 
> Ace is not my creation, and belongs to the incredible author of all dads, Rai, at raiswanson.tumblr.com, and I am incredibly delighted every time I get to include him here


End file.
